On the evening of May 20, 1957, an F-5 tornado tore into the communities of Ottawa and Spring Hill, Kansas, and Martin City, Grandview, Hickman Mills, and Ruskin Heights, Missouri. The storm left 39 people dead and 531 injured. More than 840 homes and businesses were damaged or destroyed.

Author Carolyn Brewer tells the story of the tragic event, as well as the rebuilding effort, through a series of first-person narratives collected during a 50-year reunion and memorial rededication.